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Marco Rubio has a chance to broker peace with the Vatican following Trump and Pope Leo’s nasty clash

Blessed are the peacemakers.

That line, coined by Jesus Christ himself in his Sermon on the Mount, has become a bit of a sticking point between President Donald Trump and the Vatican — and we can safely presume that it’s what Secretary of State Marco Rubio is headed to Rome this week to smooth over.

As a Catholic, I was dismayed by the president’s social-media tirade against Pope Leo.

For starters, it made no political sense: President Trump boasts strong support from Catholics, who were the difference maker between the 2020 and the 2024 elections.

He carried Catholics in 2024 by double digits, a dramatic increase from the prior election.

And many of his policy decisions, particularly those bolstering religious freedom, have been a welcome change from the prior administration.

Insulting the pope seemed off-key, even for Trump.

But more importantly, it was hurtful to Catholics, who are hard-wired to love our Holy Father and view him as a spiritual father figure.

Pope Leo, who marks a year in the office this week, has proven to have a calm and steady hand and a warmth and a quest for unity that’s endearing and inspiring. He’s impossible........

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